The Solymus Rift
by chinchillax
Summary: While navigating a magnetic storm, the crew of the Enterprise finds itself trapped in a rift where the laws of physics are meaningless, and Kirk is trapped inside his own mind.
1. (Un)Steady As She Goes

**A/N: This idea came to me after rewatching The Tholian Web episode... and then it kinda evolved from there. I think. Rated T for violence - if you like the boys going through the wringer, you've come to the right place! Please read and review!**

* * *

"Evasive manoeuvres, Mr Sulu."

"Aye, sir."

Kirk bit his lip, his eyes fixed rigidly on the viewscreen. They were travelling through the roughest part of the Solymus Belt, and a magnetic storm had suddenly encircled them, making progress increasingly dangerous. Although he didn't let anything show, Kirk was worried. Both for the 430 lives under his command, and for his First Officer, who was at that moment lying in a Vulcan healing trance as he recovered from serious injuries sustained on the previous planetside mission. He knew McCoy had done all he could, and he was confident in his friend. It was now up to Spock's own physiology to repair the damage.

A blow rocked the ship, and Kirk turned to his communications officer. "Lieutenant Uhura, open a ship-wide comm." Uhura acknowledged his order, her hands flying nimbly across the controls. Kirk cleared his throat. "All hands, this is the Captain. We are currently passing through a magnetic storm in the Solymus Belt, and are experiencing some turbulence. I advise finding a stable position, and ceasing any work that requires precision. Don't be alarmed, and remain calm. Kirk out." He glanced at Scott, who was hunched over the Engineering console. "I think I know how those airline pilots from a few centuries ago must have felt, Scotty."

Scott laughed, and stood up, stretching his back. "Aye, Captain. This wee storm is ferocious, for sure."

The intercom on Kirk's chair whistled, and he pressed the button with his fist. "Kirk here."

"_Jim, have you finished doing somersaults with the ship? I'm elbow deep in a crewman's chest down here! This damn surgery's tricky enough without some lunatic throwing the ship around!_" Kirk grinned. McCoy sounded _pissed_.

"I'll let you know, Bones. Sulu and I thought we might try a few barrel rolls, just for kicks."

There was a spluttering noise. "_Why, you –_"

Another asteroid smashed into the _Enterprise_'s hull, and the ship staggered again, more violently this time. Everyone on the Bridge was thrown sideways, however Kirk managed to remain in his chair. As the ship lurched, Kirk heard a shout over the channel from Sickbay, followed by muffled cursing. "_Christine, I need a bandage over here, NOW!_" There was a crash, followed by running footsteps.

"Everything okay, Bones?" Kirk asked.

"_Give me a minute, Jim, I've just put a… a scalpel through my hand._" McCoy sounded shocked, his voice tight with pain. "_M'Benga, I need you to take over on Crewman Phillips. I'll –_"

The line went dead.

Kirk gripped the armrests of his chair tightly. At the helm, Chekov exchanged a horrified glance with Sulu. Kirk wanted desperately to go and see McCoy, to make sure he was alright, but he knew he had to remain in command of the Bridge in a situation like this.

"Scotty, how are our shields doing?"

"They're holding, Captain," the Scotsman replied. "84 percent. But sir – if we're hit by many more of these rocks, we'll lose our shields faster than they can recharge!"

Kirk sat back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other, and resting his chin on his fist. "Then I believe we'll have to blast our way through this, Mr Scott. Lieutenant Uhura," he turned again to his communications officer. "Put the ship on Red Alert."

"Aye, sir."

The klaxon immediately began its shrill wailing.

"Helm, systematically fire phasers at will, aiming at all debris in our path."

Sulu and Chekov acted as one, locking co-ordinates and firing in unison. Twin beams of blue light shot through the blackness of space, picking out the masses of rock that hurtled towards the _Enterprise_ through the storm. For all their efforts, however, asteroids still slipped through their defences, striking the ship from every angle.

"Shields at 70 percent and dropping, Captain."

"Acknowledged, Mr Scott."

Uhura's voice cut in over the scream of the klaxon. "Captain, I'm receiving damage reports from Decks 9, 14, and 15. Minor burns in Life Sciences Department."

"Have medical teams dispatched to affected areas, Lieutenant." Kirk's jaw clenched fiercely at the recollection of McCoy's agonised yell.

Without warning, a mass larger than the _Enterprise _appeared on the viewscreen, completely filling it with its proximity. Chekov yelled in alarm, pushing back in his chair. Sulu let out a hiss of surprise, jerking bolt upright and tightening his grip on the helm. Even Kirk flinched at how close the object was, feeling the muscles in his back contract.

It was light grey in colour, and resembled two large hoops of a similar size that rotated slowly inside each other. It glowed brightly with an unknown energy source, and Kirk's eyes widened as he realised that they wouldn't be able to navigate around it in time. He also recognised that it could be a vessel containing sentient life, and the use of phasers was therefore not a viable option. The _Enterprise_ also couldn't stop, or reverse thrusters, as the warp trail they had created through the storm would collapse, and the debris would crush them.

It was one of those split-second decisions that every starship captain has to make, usually several times during their career.

"Mr Sulu, steady as she goes," he snapped out. Sulu turned slightly, his expression one of bewilderment. "Sir?" Kirk was balanced on the front of his chair, eyes locked intensely on the viewscreen. His position radiated a commanding tension and vitality, and he didn't break eye contact with the image as he responded to Sulu. "Continue on present course, Mr Sulu, warp five."

The helmsman complied immediately, without question.

Scott turned in his chair. "Captain, there's no way around that thing!"

"I know there's no way around it, Scotty. That's why we're going through it," Kirk replied patiently.

"Are ye out o' yer mind, sir? We'll smash into it!" Scott's eyes were wide.

"No, we won't. Continue watching your console for power fluctuations, Engineer." Kirk's voice was crisp, but not harsh.

"Aye, Captain." Scott rotated to face his console again.

Steadily, the distance closed between the _Enterprise_ and the glowing object, until all that filled the viewscreen was a blinding white light. Kirk had his eyes screwed almost shut, but still he kept his gaze fixed on the unknown object that loomed before them.

Small asteroids continued to crash against the ship's hull, but they were nothing as large as what had been hitting them previously.

"Brace for possible impact," Kirk called sharply.

Almost at once, the ship gave a tremendous shudder, and Kirk was nearly thrown out of his seat. Around him, he heard shouts and crashes as his crew were flung to the ground. He was about to check if there was anyone injured, when the ship suddenly gave another forceful tremor, and Kirk himself was pitched forward. His head struck something hard, and darkness enveloped him.


	2. Enter The Rift

When he regained consciousness, Kirk found himself looking into a pair of worried blue eyes.

"Bones!" He attempted to sit up, but a hand on his chest pushed him back down.

"Take it easy, Jim. You've taken quite a bad knock."

Kirk felt something wet running down the side of his face, and reached up a hand to ascertain the cause. His fingers came away red, and he realised detachedly that he was bleeding, although he didn't feel any pain. "Bones – are you okay?"

The doctor gave a short laugh. "Oh, I'm fine. Could've been much worse." He held up his left hand, which was swathed in white bandages. "You, however, are not okay. I'm taking you down to Sickbay right now."

Kirk managed to raise his head slightly, and looked around. They were on the Bridge. He was on the floor next to the Captain's chair, slightly behind the helm console. "The crew…"

"They're fine, Jim, don't worry. It was only you and Sulu who sustained any serious injuries." Kirk looked around. "Sulu… what happened to Sulu?"

"I'm okay, Captain." Sulu was sitting on the bridge steps nearby, a medic pressing a hypo to his shoulder. He forced a smile, for Kirk's benefit. "Broke my arm, but it should heal in no time."

Kirk tried to sit up again. "Bones, help me up."

"Jim, I don't think–"

"Now, Doctor. The safety of the ship is my responsibility."

_And as your doctor and friend, your safety is my responsibility._ McCoy, however, wisely didn't voice his thoughts. Instead, he did as he was told, his expression one of concern.

Kirk felt another set of hands support him into a standing position, and turned his head. "Scotty! What happened?"

"Well, Captain, as far as I can work it out, we hit some kind of an energy field."

Kirk looked at the viewscreen in astonishment. "An energy field… explains the bump…" In front of him, stars twinkled. There was no trace of the Solymus Belt, the magnetic storm, or the strange grey hoops that they had flown through. "But where's the Solymus Belt? We couldn't have passed through it already."

"That's exactly what we're trying to work out, sir." Scott looked just as confused as Kirk felt.

"Ship's status – _ow, Bones!_" McCoy had just injected Kirk's exposed neck with a hypo.

"That should stop the bleeding for now."

Kirk glared at his friend. "Thanks for warning me." He turned to his navigator, who seemed unharmed. "Ship's status, Mr Chekov?"

"All systems normal, Captain. Shields are still holding, and we have lost warp capability due to power drain, however Mr Scott says that it should be back online soon."

Abruptly, a wave of dizziness hit Kirk, and he swayed, falling into McCoy. "Jim, if you don't come with me _right now_ I am going to sedate you." McCoy tightened his hold on him.

Kirk's vision blurred, and a white light began to creep into the edges of his vision. It was all he could do to stay upright. "You know, Bones, that might not be necessary…"

McCoy's countenance was creased with worry. "Right, that's it. I'm calling for a stretcher. Scotty, help me sit him down."

Kirk shut his eyes, willing to comply with his Chief Medical Officer for once. As he sat back down on the floor, he could suddenly no longer feel McCoy or Scott's hands on him. The floor, too, felt strange. Rubbery, in fact – not like the _Enterprise_ at all.

* * *

Kirk opened his eyes. He was not on the _Enterprise_. He was in the middle of a large room, with grey metal walls that stretched up into a glowing expanse, and a pale pink floor that was spongy to touch. His eyes opened wider, and he jerked in shock. There had been no feeling of a transporter – one minute he was sitting on the floor of the Bridge, the next he was… here. Wherever 'here' was. Standing up, he looked around, and tried to make sense of what had happened. Thankfully, the dizziness had abated, as had the blurry vision, however his head throbbed unmercifully. He began to walk towards one of the walls, intent on finding the exit. After ten seconds, he stopped.

He was no closer to the wall.

_What the…_

Kirk rubbed his eyes. Surely it was just a symptom of the concussion. He began walking again, this time looking at his feet. He was definitely walking, definitely covering ground. But when he looked again at the wall, it was no closer. More than a little shaken, Kirk spun around. The opposite four walls were the same distance away. He began to run towards another wall, cursing at the pain in his head.

He suddenly became very aware that there was no exit that he could see.

But what about his crew? Perhaps they had been transported to similar rooms. "My name is Captain James T. Kirk, of the U.S.S. _Enterprise_," he shouted at the glowing ceiling. "Why are you holding me here? What have you done with my crew?"

The glow above him seemed to increase. An intense feeling of emotion hit Kirk, enough to drive him to his knees. It was an awful, empty feeling – of being alone, the only living thing to have existed since time began, and the only living thing to exist until time itself ceased to. Kirk began to shake. With an incredible effort, he picked himself up and sprinted towards the wall – only to have it remain the same distance away…

* * *

**Ooh, I'm excited. Where could Kirk possibly be - and why?**


	3. Something Wrong

**A/N: This chapter turned out wayyy longer than the previous two. Enjoy! And I love hearing from my readers, please review!**

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"Scotty, I don't understand it! Jim couldn't have just…" McCoy gestured wildly with one arm. "…_vanished_ into thin air!"

Scott and Chekov were bent over the Science station, which was normally occupied by Spock. "I know that, Doctor – but it makes no sense! I've done a sensor sweep of the entire ship, and the Captain is not on the _Enterprise_, or outside it!" Scott's eyes were wide, unmasked distress all over his usually cheerful countenance.

McCoy and Scott had been holding Kirk between them, in the process of lowering him to the floor, when without warning, he had – disappeared. They had been left clutching empty air, and had stared at each other for a long time, attempting to work out what had just happened. The rest of the Bridge crew had not witnessed Kirk disappear, and were almost as perplexed as the engineer and the doctor, surrounding the pair and asking them what had happened. Then Sulu had asked the question which was at the forefront of all their minds.

"What do we do now?"

Everyone on the bridge automatically looked at the senior officer – Mr Scott. The Chief Engineer had ordered a shipwide search for Captain Kirk, moving quickly to the sensors himself.

"Doctor… shouldn't we get Mr Spock up here?" Scott asked worriedly. "He'll be able to search for the Captain better than I can."

Frustrated and anxious, McCoy bounced on his heels. "Look, I don't dare risk waking Spock… I don't know much about those weird Vulcan rituals of his, and the shock could kill him if we bring him out of it. We need to find Jim ourselves, and quickly."

Hours passed: the ship was combed, both by the computer, and by Security teams. While Scott knew with sick certainty that Kirk couldn't be alive if he had been transported out into space, he still had the computers scan the area of space they were in, as far as the scanners would reach. Of course, no life signs showed.

Suggestions were made, queries were raised, but still Captain Kirk was nowhere to be seen.

"I bet it's that energy field we went through," Chekov muttered. "It took the asteroid belt, and it took the Captain."

Scott's head jerked up from the console, and he fixed Chekov with a delighted gaze. "Mr Chekov – I think you're right!" He turned to McCoy. "Doctor, that was no strangely shaped rock we flew through! It must have been an enemy ship!"

McCoy's eyes lit up. "And they've taken Jim! All we need to do is board their vessel, and get him back!" He looked down suddenly, raising an eyebrow in consternation. "But where is he? That didn't look like a ship that humans can transport to – for all we know, we could be transporting into solid rock. And where's the _ship_? There's nothing but space around us now."

"Aye, and we couldn't transport into that energy field either – there's nothing there." Scott shook his head in dismay.

The captain's chair, which was unoccupied, began to glow suddenly with a bright white light. Everyone on the Bridge stopped what they were doing, and watched.

Abruptly, Kirk appeared, in a standing position slightly in front of his chair. He was very pale, and his eyes were unfocused, staring at a point to the left of the viewscreen.

"Jim!" McCoy leaped over the red handrail, and grabbed Kirk's arm.

Or intended to.

The doctor's hand passed straight through Kirk's arm as if he were a ghost. It smashed into the arm of the chair with considerable force, but McCoy didn't notice. He was too busy staring in horror at his friend.

"Captain?" Scott's voice was barely a whisper.

Kirk appeared not to have heard either of them. His eyes roved, not focusing on anything in particular. "I won't let them…" Abruptly, he turned, and walked straight through the captain's chair like it didn't exist. Or like _he_ didn't exist.

"Do you hear me?" he bellowed. "You'll never take the _Enterprise_! You'll never take command! If you so much as touch my crew…" A look of utter rage twisted his features. McCoy had never seen him look so angry, in all the years he'd known Kirk. It was almost frightening.

"I'll kill you!" Kirk screamed at the ceiling, continuing his tirade and pacing furiously.

What happened next shocked every person on the Bridge. The captain jerked suddenly, his arms trembling. Every ounce of anger dissolved from his expression, replaced instantly by one of pleading. He fell to his knees, and to McCoy's horror, tears began coursing down Kirk's cheeks. "Stop this… please, stop…" Kirk's voice was a low moan. "Let my crew go. Take me, do whatever you want with me, but let them go. They've done nothing – I ordered the _Enterprise_ to fly through the energy field. Let them go… don't hurt my crew…"

There was total silence on the Bridge, broken only by their captain's aching sobs.

Just as suddenly as before, Kirk's entire body jerked. He stood up, his expression dazed. There was no trace of the previous emotions, apart from the tears that stained his face. He made no effort to wipe them away.

* * *

Kirk stood there for a while, unmoving. He blinked a few times, and turned his head, seeing the faces of his stunned Bridge crew. Without warning, he began to shake violently. His mouth opened to form words, but no sound emerged. He collapsed to the floor of the Bridge with a crash, his entire body shaking.

McCoy was the first one to react. He ran to Kirk's side, and cautiously put a hand on his friend's shoulder. His solid, _real_ shoulder. "Jim, thank God."

Kirk reached a shaking hand up, in an unsuccessful attempt to clutch at McCoy's blue tunic. "Bones…"

Kirk's face paled suddenly. He curled on his side, and vomited a bright orange liquid all over the deck.

The doctor's eyes widened in horror at the colour, and immediately began waving his medical scanner over Kirk. "Entire metabolic rate doubled… heartbeat two hundred and forty-eight… brain activity off the charts…"

Kirk had drawn his arms up to cover his face, his body still shuddering. McCoy looked up, and saw the Bridge crew standing around them, with horrified looks on their faces. "Stand back, all of you!" McCoy growled. "Give us some space, dammit! And someone call Medical, now!"

Alarmed, the crew resumed their positions around the Bridge, casting concerned glances in Kirk's direction.

Scott pressed the intercom button. "Bridge to Sickbay – we have a medical emergency. Captain Kirk is injured." He struggled to keep his voice calm.

_"Acknowledged, sir. Medical team on their way."_

Scott turned to face the helm. "Mr Sulu, warp six. Get us away from here."

McCoy put his scanner down, and gently took hold of Kirk's trembling arms, which were shielding his face. Kirk flinched at the touch.

"Jim, it's okay. You're back on the _Enterprise_." He managed to pull his friend's arms away from his face and roll him onto his back. In doing so, he noticed a series of small puncture marks that covered both of Kirk's wrists. A terrible thought occurred to him, and he swore as he realised its implications. "I need you to look at me, Jim. Can you do that?" Kirk nodded, and tilted his head to look at McCoy. The doctor inhaled sharply as he saw the hazel eyes, which usually burned with an unrivalled intensity, unfocused and dull. Kirk's pupils were dilated to such an extent that his eyes looked almost black. "You've been drugged. I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

Kirk closed his eyes. "I… I don't know… I was in a metal room with a pink floor – I was walking, but I couldn't go anywhere… There was so much emotion – it was like they were drowning me in emotion, controlling me…" He swallowed. "I don't feel so good…"

"I'm not surprised," McCoy answered. "Jim, it's critical you tell me what you know about your captors. From what I can tell, you've been pumped full of a metabolic stimulant, and I can't give you anything yet – it may react with this stimulant. My scanner's not giving any reading as to what it is – it's a completely alien drug."

Kirk frowned slowly. His mind felt heavy, like he'd been hit over the head in a drunken bar-fight. "But that's… impossible. I was alone the entire time – I didn't see a single living thing. I… I couldn't have been drugged."

"What?" McCoy stared at him, incredulous. "I mean, they could have been in another room, or something. Observing you through a one-way wall?" He examined Kirk's wrists. "Look, you've been injected by needles - and you've got absolutely no recollection of it?"

Kirk shook his head, then grimaced as a bolt of agony ripped through it, protesting against the sudden movement. "No… the entire time I was in that prison, I… I just _knew_ that I was the only living thing. Nothing touched me... no needles, no life forms. It's just not possible -" His stomach did a slow somersault, and liquid suddenly filled his mouth, preventing further speech.

McCoy quickly placed a reassuring hand on his friend's arm, stilling his movement. "It's alright, Jim. Don't move, just let me work out what I can give you to make you feel better." His other hand held a tricorder, which he hovered over Kirk's head and abdomen.

Confusion and unease flitted openly across Kirk's face. "I was the only living creature, Bones. It was like - being trapped inside a machine - a sentient machine. Whoever… _whatever_ those things are, they aren't life as we know it." He attempted to sit up. Something was wrong with his ship. Something felt very, very wrong.

Around him, the walls began to sway, rushing towards him then receding sickeningly fast. The Bridge lights which had at first seemed too bright, seemed to have dimmed, and were pulsing in time with the movement of the walls. He was aware that McCoy was still talking to him, but couldn't quite make out the words. The pounding of his heart drowned out everything, and made it hard to think. Something didn't seem quite right; was it supposed to be going that fast?

"Jim!" Hands, shaking his shoulders. There was a sudden sting in his arm, and Kirk blinked, and found himself lying on the floor looking into worried blue eyes for the second time in six hours. "Wha-? Ah, Bones, that hurts…" He did his best to convey a sense of annoyance, but realised it didn't have much effect.

"Well, good!" McCoy snarled, injecting him succinctly with another hypo. "Christ, Jim, you scared the hell out of me! You were this close to a heart attack, or seizure, or both!" Even in his semiconscious state, Kirk didn't miss the tremor in his friend's voice.

Kirk reached up a hand and gripped the soft blue fabric that covered McCoy's arm. "I'm okay, Bones. Really, I'm feeling better." He was, too – the doctor's wonder drugs had made everything go all soft-edged, and his heart rate was slowing to normal.

McCoy snorted, his face losing some of its tension. "You are _not_ okay. You are anything _but _okay. Don't move a muscle until I can work out what else to give you, that won't react with the alien stimulant in your system, or make your damn idiot brain bleed even more." He rummaged in his medkit, loading hypos and muttering dangerously.

"The _Enterprise_... Bones, what's wrong with my ship?" Kirk reached a hand up and felt the side of his face, which had gone all tingly and warm. His fingers came away red.

The doctor slapped his hand down. "Jim, I swear to God! Don't move! There's nothing wrong with the _Enterprise_." He brought a loaded hypo up to Kirk's shoulder and injected it.

Kirk recoiled from the sudden sting, but McCoy's firm grip kept him from rolling onto his side. "Aw, no more hypos... hurts..." Kirk's speech had become slurred, and he could feel unconsciousness pulling at him. He attempted to fight it, but he was warm, and in control of his own mind, and the deck was so solid and real. And Bones was next to him, gently holding his arm.

"It's okay, that last hypo I gave you was a sedative. You're safe now, Jim - you don't need to fight it."

Kirk's eyes closed, and the blackness rushed up to meet him.


End file.
